Manchester City v Aston Villa Preview | Team News, Stats and Key Men

Manchester City v Aston Villa Preview | Team News, Stats and Key Men

Manchester City will be looking to maintain their position in the top four with three points this weekend but will have to do so against a resurgent Aston Villa side.

City have fallen away from their title challenge and are now hoping to avoid the likes of Liverpool and Southampton overtaking them in the race for the Champions League places. They managed to defeat West Ham United 2-0 in their last match at the Etihad but will face an entirely different challenge against Aston Villa on Saturday, who are on a high after their progression to the FA Cup final.

Aston Villa have been in good form under Tim Sherwood and have only lost twice in their last six league matches, as well as defeating Liverpool 2-1 in last week’s FA Cup semi-final. They have likely never had higher morale in the last few years than they do now and Manuel Pellegrini’s team will have to be wary of this when they face Villa on Saturday evening.

Team News

David Silva could return for City this weekend after picking up a facial injury in their last game. James Milner and Wilfried Bony could also be in line for a return. However, there is no word yet as to when Vincent Kompany, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy will be fit to play.

Gabby Agbonlahor could play for Villa this weekend but only if he can pass a late fitness test. Aly Cissoko could make his return after recovering from a groin injury, as could Philippe Senderos. However, Alan Hutton and Ciaran Clark are still out of action.

Interesting Statistics

When the two sides met at the Etihad last season, City won 4-0.

City have won their last five games against Villa at the Etihad.

Aston Villa have won three of their last six league matches.

However, they have only won in one of the last three.

Key Players

Manchester City – Sergio Aguero

Aguero has been City’s best player again this season. In 28 league games for the club, he has managed to score 20 goals. According to Squawka.com, he has attempted 97 shots at goal and 51 of these have been on target. The striker has also created 28 chances for his team-mates and six of these have resulted in assists. Aguero has won just over half of all the duels he has been involved in and unsurprisingly, he has a success rate of 59% when taking on opponents. Villa’s defence did a good job of containing Liverpool last weekend but they will have to work even harder to stop Aguero.

Aston Villa – Fabian Delph

Delph was one of the best players in Aston Villa’s victory over Liverpool last weekend. He has made 23 league appearances for the club this season but has not scored any league goals. According to Squawka.com, he has created 26 chances for his team-mates but only two of these have resulted in assists. The midfielder has completed 1052 passes, meaning he has a passing accuracy of 85%. Delph is involved in an average of three defensive actions per game with most of these being interceptions. He has made two defensive errors this season, one of which led to a goal. Delph has put in some good performances lately and will aim to do that again this weekend.

Prediction

Aston Villa have been in good form but I think the challenge of beating Manchester City at the Etihad will be too much for them. I think that City will win the game 2-0.